Recording music.



PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. J. J. WALKER. RECORDING MUSIC.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1906.

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' PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907.

J. J. WALKER. nscoxmme MUSIC.

APYLIUATIOF FILED APR. 30, 1906.

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masses \3- m QM M W MQJ PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES JOHN WALKER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

RECORDING MUSIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1907.

Original application filed August 24, 1905. Serial No. 275.611. Dividedand this application filed April 30. 1906. Serial No. 314.595.

To all 115720112 it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES J OHN \VALKER, a subset of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Francis street, Tottenham Court Road,

London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in RecordingMusic; and I do hereby declare the followm to be a full, clear, andexact description oi the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the production of a record of music having acompanion record representing expression whereby an exact record of themanipulation or actuation of each individual key, lever, or controllingdevice of the recording device is obtained, such record enabling boththe cried and speed of actuation of such contro ling members of aninstrument to be automatically recorded without the intervention ofhuman agency beyond the manipulation of the controlling members; thisrecord, however, forms no part of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings --Figures 1 and 2 are plans of portions oftwo different 5 forms of perforated or slotted sheets or hands to theproduction of which the present invention is applicable; Fig. 3 is ageneral View of a recording mechanism according to this invention,partly in per. ective, and partly in sectional elevation am 'such as isapplicable to the production of the record shown in Fig. l Fig. 4 is anelevation of a modified form of contact plate which may be'used tocontrol the transmission of impulses for the production of a record suchas is shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view of a swell lever carrying thecontact plate shown in Fig. 4, for succes- "sivcly engaging a series ofelectrical contacts;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a mechanical impulse transmitter foroperating punch selectors in place of the electrical means shown in 1Fig. 3, and Fig.4 7 is a sectional elevation of a hydraulic or pneumaticdevice Operating 'll ill 1 zt pllll'cu] fiaLlcL .Qrs.

The band or sheet ain Fig. 1, for the production of which the presentinvention provides, is provided witha series of perforations intended torepresent a note which is to be'played m various-ways, -b.a-pneumatlcally actuated. instrument, a1 as fully described in thespecification of aseparate ap- "by the slot 0. ing applied at once, theresultant descent of plication for Letters Patent Serial Number 275611filed August 24th 1905 and from which care the present one is adivisional application. I

The slots in the row marked I are the ordinary tune slots and maycontrol one of the motors or pneumatics connected with the key of theparticular note represented by the slot, or one degree of power to beapplied to such key, and the slots in the row marked 11 are what may betermed f accelerator slots, and these may control the other one of thepneumatics or motors connected with the key, or, of course, theperforations in the row marked II mightcontrol the augmentation of thepower for operating the key in any other manner, as for instance bycontrolling a higher degree of power than that controlled by the tuneslotsv The companion slots 1) and c are seen, in Fig. 1, to be cutabreast of one another, both at their front and rear ends they,according to this invention, represent a loud staccato note for, as theband travels in the direction of the arrow, both motors or pneumaticswill be put into action simultaneously, or, the maximum power will be atonce applied, and the key in the reproducer-being thus caused to rapidlydescend, the corresponding note will be loudl struck. The slots 5, cterminating togetllier, the actions of the two motors .or neumatics willterminate simultaneously and the lever is permitted to rise uickly,thereby giving a staccato effect.

he slots d, e terminate together, but the slot (Z is cut somewhat inadvance of the slot e, therefore the motor or pneumatic orpartlculardegree of power which the slot (Z controls is brought into action uponthe key,

somewhat in advance of the pneumatic, moto-r, or particular degree ofpower controlled The maximum power not bcthe key of the reproducer willbe at only a medium speed and the note produced will be sa Y a note ofaverage loudness, the staccato efl ect is again obtained, however, bythe s1- multaneous termination of the slots. The slot f at its forwardend is far in-advancc of the'slot g; the maximum power, in thisinstance, may therefore not be efi'ectively applied 'for sounding thenote, for, 1the pneu matic or .motor, or degree of power, controlled bythe slot f may have depressed the lever so far as to sound the note, ornearly so, before the ower is augmented by the slot g; the key is tiereforc depressed comparatively slowly and the resultant note is softbut the staccato effect is obtained in this instance also by the rearends of the slots f and g-being cut abreast of one another. The slot itcommences abreast of the slot but terminates somewhat in arrear thereof,therefore the note will be struck loudly but the power ap- )lied bytheslot 1', being removed from the ey in advance of that controlled by theslot h, the note will not. be staccato but of the ordinary character.The slot Z commences somewhat in arrear of the slot is but termi natessomewhat in advance thereof and, as

y will now be well understood, such a combination represents a note ofthe ordinary character. The lot n commences some distance in arrear ofthe slot m but terminates slightly in advance thereof, this coinbina-'tion represents a note or ordinary character softlystruck. The slots 0and 1) commence abreast of. one another but the slot 1) terminates farin-advance of the slot 0; the note represented by this combination willtherefore be loudly struck, but as the power controlled by the'slot p isremoved from the key at an early moment, say at or about the mo-' mentat which the note is sounded and the tensity andof the legato type.

power controlled by the slot 0 continues'to act, the note, althoughloudly struck will be of the legato type. The slot r commences slightlyin arrear, but'terminates some dis-' tance in advance of the slot q;this combination represents a note, say, of medium in- The slot tis seento be very short, this is owing to the fact that'it is required toaugment the power controlled by the slot s very late in the action ofthe key to produce a soft note, the au mentation being quickly removedin or er to produce the le ato effect as before described. The recordand seen inFi 2 has five rows of slots and is chic-fly applicable forthe operation of the heavier levers or controlling devices such-as aswell lever. For instance, supposin each slot in either of the rows. Ito V contro s a source of power sufficient for. operating the swelllever, to open the swell box either artially or completely, slightly in.

the case 0 the row I and'more and more in the case of theother rows, therow V providing for t'he complete opening of the said 'swell box,thenthe -slots 1 to'5 represent amore or less ordinary manipulation-ofthe swell pedal, commencing slowl and gradually accelerating in speedast e power for operating the lever is augmented by the successiveregistrations of the forward ends of the slots 2, 3, 4 and 5 with. thetracker, or other power controlling device.

The slots 6,. 7 and 8- may represent a-partial opening cut with theirforward another and they will thus effect the applica'- tion of saytwo-fifths of the available power termination of .the slot rate ofspeed, the forward end of the slot 7 commencing some distance in arrear,of the front end of the slot 6 and the slot 8 in arrear of .the slot 7,so that, .the augmentation of power being slow, a slow operation of thelever results and only part of the available power being employed, asonly three slots are used out of five,

I the swell box may not be completely opened.

The slots 9 and 10 are ends abreast of one to the swell lever, whichWill commence to operate rather ing example. Sometime afterwards, say

when theswell has been half opened, the

slots 11, 12, 13, having their front ends cut abreast of one another,bring into operative effect the total amount of power, the result beinga quick completion of the movement of the swelllever.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 that in each of the-threeforegoing examples the rear ends of all the slots in each grouprepresenting an operation of the swell lever, have been cut abreast ofone another, thus, in operation the maximum power is suddenly cut off,thereby permitting the quicker than with the precedswell lever to risequickly and suddenly to close the swell box.

The slots 14, 15, .16, 17, and 18 havingtheir front ends all in the samestraight line transversely of the band, the swell lever in this casewill he suddenly and perhaps completely-opened. The "slots 16, 17, 18terminate in the same transverse straight line, while the slot 15terminates some distance in arrear of these slots, and the slot 14 somedistance in arrear of the slot 15, thus, after the slots 16, 17, 18 havebeen moved away fromthe tracker, the swell will be allowed to closegraduall In the last example shown in Fig. 2, the s ots 19 to 23 havetheir forward ends cut in the same transverse straight line, and inoperation, the swell lever will be (Hpickly operated to suddenly andfully open t e swell, in order, it may be, to give a cramaticeifect to apassage of music; after the 23 the swell lever is gradually allowed toclose,- as will be seen and understood from the relative-positions ofthe-rear endsof the slots 22, 21, 20 and 19. r

The present'invention enables any records of tune andvexp'ression, suchas those previously described (or others havingdifferent numbers ofperforations for each of the re-- spective operations recorded) to besimultaneously effected by one operation of a recordin key or lever asnext tobe describerkr According to one method of recording,

20 the dotted line 42, may be connected electric- 40-are thereaftermaintained closed until the 5 oted to the bar ation of such key.

key'is depressed, of making two successive contact tingcr38, 39. Toavoid complica- Each key 3,

37, and then a second electrical circuit at a 45 completion, by theplate 50 bossed, or perforated, in a se arate machine,

55 do )rcssion ot the ke s 33 34 35 as herein- "is shown vmore or lesscoon which the original music is played,

each key or operating lever of the instru- 1 ment used for playing themusic to be recorded, as for instance the piano keys, parts of which 33,34, 35 are shown in Fig. 3 piv- 36 in the usual manner, is provided witha device capable of transmitting a series of successive impulses (twoare generally considered sutlicient in the case of a key a piano orcarillon) during each actu- In Fig. 3 such a' device comprises aninverted L-shaped or stepped contact plate 37, or there might be two ormore separate plates or contacts fixed atdifferent heights on .each key,capable, when a contacts wit h spring blades or fingers 38, 39, tocomplete two electrical circuits as follows-: A conductor 40 may be laidalong the'bar 36 in contact with pins 41, which, as shown by ally witheach of the-plates 37. The conductor 40 is connected to one pole of abattery 43 whose other pole is connected through the windings of anelectro magnet 44 to each tion, only one of the electro magnets 44 isshown in the drawing, but it will'r'eadily be understood that there isone in "connection with each of the contact fingers 38, 39. 34, 35 andso on, completes first one electrical circuit at the commencement of itsdepression, by means of the corresponding contact finger 38 engaging thelowermost part of the appropriate contact plate later part, or at thecompletion of suchdepression, by means of the companion contact finger39 engaging the uppermost part of the same contact plate 37, both ofsuch circuits key, in its ascent, again passes through the parts of itsstroke at which the two circuits were previously closed, the saidcircuits being now broken in the reverse order of their 37 leaving thecontact fingers.

The sheet marking apparatus may be one that-provides for either the meremarking of the sheet, which could afterwards he enior for the embossingor per oration of such. sheet; as an example a perforating apparatus isillustrated as beingcontrolled by the electrical circuits made andbroken by the before zlcscribed.

The apparat-us illustrated dlagramn'iatically for the sake ofsimplicity; it comprises-for each key 33, 34, 35, and so on, of theinstrument a number of punches 45 corresponding to the number ofelectrical contacts 38, 39

(for more than two such contacts may be usedas Will be hereinafter seen)and these punches 45 are caused, by the making of the electricalcircuits; to perforate the sheet or band a as it is moved through theapparatus at a uniform rate and preferably continuously, as will be nowdescribed. A quickly rotating shaft 46 has fixed to it an eccentric 47which, by means of the eccentric rod 48, shown broken away, rapidlyreciprocates in a vertical direction a frame which may consist, forexample, of a bar 49 andv plates 50 between which latter a bar 51 iscarried; or, instead of a single eccentric 47 and eccentric rod 48 beingemplo ed for reciprocating the, said, frame, a plurality of such devicesmay be provided for the purpose. Uprights 52, on the bar 51, support asecond bar 53, and a number of selectors v 54 corresponding 'innumber'to the number of 'pun'ches 45, are pivotally mounted upon the ba'51 and are maintained in the position shown in full lines by means of,say, blade springs 55 suitably fixed to a block or bar 56 carried uponthe frame 49, 50. Each punch 45 is carried by a slider 57 which may besuitably supported and guided in the vertical direction, each sliderhaving projecting shoulders 58,59, the latter for engaging the bar 53whenever the latter descends, and the former for engaging the nose orprojection 60 on the corresponding selector 54.,v under circumstances tobe now explained. In the full line position shown in Fig. 3, eachselector 54 bears a ainst a nose ()1 upon the end of one arm 62 o? atwo-armed leverwhich is pivoted to the fixed framing at 63, and whoseother arm 64 is in operative connection with a vertical rod or sticker65. Rocking levers 66, pivoted at 67 upon the fixed framing, support, atone end, the stickers and at the other end are connected to the upperends of pull-downs or trackers 68 passing to the interior of a pressurechamber 69 whereinthey are connected in a well-known manner, eachtoabellows or motor 70 whose interior is normally inopen communicationwith the interior of the chamber 69 through a channel 71 and tubular leg72 of the corresponding electro magnet 44. The pull-downs or trackers 68are in air-tight connection with the pressure chamber 69 by a flexiblemembrane 7 3.

Each'channcl 71 is provided with an outlet 74 open to the atmosphere butnormally closed by a valve 75 carried on a hinged lever 76 whichconstitutes the armature of the respective magnet 44, this valve, whenthe magnet is energized, serving to break the above-named communicationbetween thechamber 69 and motor 70, and establish communication betweenthe interior of the said motor and the atmosphere, the pressure in thechamber 69 acting upon the motor 70, then causing the latter tocollapse, 5

, The operation is as follows :-When either l of the recording keys, asfor instance the one 33, one of whose corresponding circuits andmechanisms alone are shown, is depressed,

the plate 37 makes contact first with the is depressed, witli'the finger38 and then, after an interval which the ke ing to the force exertedupon the key 33. A

I the finger-38, electricity circuit being closed by the plate 37engaging flows from the battery 43 to the conductor 40, thence to theplate 37 b way of conductor 42 arranged 'on or in t e key, as shown bythe dotted line, through the finger 38 to the windings of. the magnet 44and back to the opposite pole of the batter 43. The magnet 44 be mgthus'energize ,for so long as the key is depressed sufficiently to makecontact between 38 and the plate 37 (the same remark of course applyingto the contact between 39 and 37) the magnet 44 attracts its armature7 6thereby listing the valve 75 from the,

outlet port 74. The pneumatic 70 will now be collapsed by the pressure,in the chamber. 69, exhaustion'taking place by way of the duct 71 andport propriate arm of the lever 66 to descend, thus raising'the oppositearm and therewith the sticker 65. The lifting of the sticker65 causesthe two-armed lever 62, 64, to turn about its pivot 63 to the dottedposition, the 'nose 6]. of the said lever forcing the correspondingselector 54 into the vertical posithe bar 53 engaging the projection 59.

tion, also shown'in dotted lines, in which the nose takes beneath theprojection 58 on the punch slider 57. It must be I'GIIIGIIP 'bered thatthe selector 54 and bar 53 are being rapidly reciprocated by theeccentric 47 as hereinbefore described, the consequence is that thepunch slider 57-willnow also reciprocate rapidly, being forced up-Qwards by the selector 54, and downwards by The band or sheet a beingpreferably uniformly and continuously traversed between the two punchdies 78, will receive a number of perforations during the time ofcontact between-37 and 38', or between 37 and 39. The

relative speed of the sheet and punches is such that each succeedingstroke of a punch during the same depression .of the respective-key.serves to elongate the perforationv pro--' duced by tli'immediatelypreceding stroke 01' strokes. A lever or levers 79 pivoted at 80 to thefixed framing, may be jointed'at one end to the frame 49 and may beadjustably connected by means of a nut 81 and screw 82 to a tensionspring 83,s0 that the latter always assists in'the raising of theframe49.

key receiving a blow of rnaximum strength, as

the two before-men- 74, and will causefthe apthird examples pedals,whether expression In the case of akey, as 33, whose action has beendescribed,

in a fortissimo passage,

for instance the tionedcircuits are closed between the plate 37 andfingers 38 and 39 practically simul-' 'taneously, or nearly so, andconsequently their respective perforating mechanisms will actpractically simultaneously, .and the as in accelerator perforation,

the left marked fourth examples from I c and respectively in the rowFig. 1, commences abreast, or almost abreast, of the commencement of thecorresponding first perforations marked 6 and h respectively in the rowmarked I. As the blow is less violent for. producing-notes of lessintensity, so will the distances between the forward ends of the twoperforations be the first and 75 marked II.v I

greater, as in the second and third examples it may be possible from theleft in Fig. 1; or

ently that the secfor -a key to be struckiso 0nd circuit will not be esuch a short time, that asecond perforation will not be roduced, or,

ninth examp e from the left in Fi 1 marked 8 and t,the accelerator slot,i produced,

may be of negligible length, for, in this case the second perforation isso far in arrear of it will not be effective in the first one thataugmenting the ower applied to the sticker by the first pe oration whenthe record is passed through a reproducer. In the case of a key beingquickly released, as in a staccat'o movement} two relative perforationswillbe abreast or nearly abreast, as' inthe first, second and inoreorless legato passages, s'p will the terminationof the second oraccelerator perthe terminations of the from the left in Fi 1, and

osed, or. closed for as shown in the.

foration in the row marked II Fig. 1, be"

more or less in advance of the termination of the respective fir tperforation as. seen in the fourth-to the ninth examples from the j left inlFig. 1.

In addition to the foregoing recording devices, other similar devicesare, or may be,

provided for recording the manipulation of forte, or the swell pedal 0an organ-,or for recording the manipulation of any lever or i a deviceif the effect of such pedal lever or device is dependent upon the speedat which it is operated. In Figsi4 and'5 for instance, is

shown a contactplate 84 having five steps 85 for making and breakingcontact with five edals of a piano contacts 86 and linkedto one end of alever .87, only one of the conclrcuits and mechanisms employed with eachI lever depends upon the character of the lever I 60 pose of controllinoperated and the degree of exactitude re quired in the reproduction ofits movement. If desired the selectors 54 may be operated by mechanicaldevices upon the keys either directly or indirectly. For instance, camsor inclined projections 88, Fig. 6, may' take the place of the contactplate or plates 37, Fig. 3. Vhen the key is depressed these projections88 will depress the short arms of their respective bell crank levers 89,which, by connecting rods 90, move levers 91 about their pivots, todirectly, or, through the medium of suitable mechanism, operate theselectors 54 as will now be well understood. In Fig; 6 the bell-cranklever which is operated by the upper 01 the cams 88 cannot be seen, itbeing wholly obscured by the corresponding lever appertaining to thelower of such cams which said lever is immediately in front of the otherone. The lower one of the cams 88 con-'- with the end of the key must beso as to retain its lever depressed until the other or upper of suchcams has depressed and again released its lever. Or the cams 88 may, asshown in Fig. 7, effect the sliding of valves 92 intheir casings 93against the action o'l springs 94. A ressure reservoir may supplythepipe 95 w iich, in the position of the valve shown, is closed. Whenjointly formed however a cam moves the corresponding valve 92 back, theport 96 in the valve, opens the pipe 95 to the pipe 97, therebyadmitting pressure behind a piston 98 and moving it in its cylinder 99against the action of a spring 100. This movement of the piston 98 maybe used directly, or indirectly, to effect the movement of acorresponding selector 54. When the key 33 is permitted to rise, thesprings 94, 100 effect the return to normal position of their respectivepistons 92, 98, and any surplus pressure fluid in the cylinder 99 andpipe 97 is free to pass through the exhaust pipe 101.

The punches are preferably of square form so that the edges of theresultant elongated perforations or embossed portions of the records maybe straight and parallel with the di rection of motion of such records,as shown.

1. Apparatus comprising a plurality of re cordin instruments one ofwhich is operated to pro ucea record of' the operations of thecontrolling members of a musical instrument said recordbeing adapted forthe pura reproducer and another of which is simultaneously therewithoperated to produce a companion record of the speed of each ofsuchoperations said comously l l I the purpose companion. record of thespeed of each of.

such operations, comprising in conndnation controlling members, aplurality of recorders for each such member, a plurality ofimpulse-transmitters governing the, action of such recorders and meansfor successively energizing such transmitters during one operation of acontrolling member.

3. Apparatus for producing simultanea record of the operations ofcontrolling members of'a musical instrument and acompanion record of thespeed of each of such operations, comprising in combination a pluralityof recorders for each key, a sliding carrier for each recorder, anormally free reciprocating selector adapted to operatively engage saidcarrier, and a plurality of impulse-transmitters connected with each0011-.

stepwise arrangement of energizing devices for the impulse transmitter5. Apparatus for producing simultaneously a record of the operations ofcontrolling members of'a musical instrument and a companion record orthe speedof each of such operations comprising in combinationcontrolling members, a'plurality of recorders for each such member, asliding carrier for each recorder, a normally free reciprocatim selectoradapted to operatively engage sai carrier, a plurality ofimpulse-trans1nitters governing the engagement of said selectors withsaid carriers and'on e stepwise arrangement of devices for energizingsaid impulse-transmitters.

6. Apparatus for producing simultaneously a recordv of the operations ofcontrolling members of a musical instrument and a companion record ofthe speed ol each of such operations comprising in combinationcontrolling members, a plurality of recorders for each such member, asliding carrier for each recorder, a reciprocating selector adapted tooperatively engage said carrier, means for maintaining said of saidcarriers, means for normally main taining said carriers in their lowerosition, a plurality of impulse-transmitters For engagach said member aselectors normally l :ee

saici selectors with said carriers and on erforating means in accordancewith the 10 each sald member a stepwise arran ement of ength of t me 1nwhlch the said element is devices for energlzing said impu setrans--causedv to make a complete movement. Imtters'. v f InWltIlGSSWhBIGOfIhfiVB hereunto set my 7. In apparatus the classdescribedthehand in the presence of two witnesses. combination with anelement arran%ed to be a JAMES JOHN WALKER. "moved in the ,production ofmusica sounds, Witnesses: I

I of music-record-sheet perforating means, FREDK. L. RAND, and meanscontrolling the operation of said HENRY HART.

